Apparatus for shaping hat-crowns



L. STEVENS.

APPARATUS FOR SHAPING HAT CROWNS.

APPLlcATloN man JULY 11. 1913.

1,316,81 3, PatentedSept. 23, 1919.

LESLIE STEVENS, `0F GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

APARATUS FOR SHAPING HAT-CROWNS.

speciaeeaon of Letter; Patent. i Patented Sept. 2,3, 1919;

-. Appucaaon'mea July 11, 191s. semina. -'z"1s,4ao.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE SfrnvrNs, a. citizen -of the United States, resldmg at Glen Ridge, in the county of Essex and,

State of New Jersey, Nhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Shaping Hat-Crowns, fullyV described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

relates to apparatus for This invention shaping hat crowns, and the object ofthe lnvention is to provide an improved apparatus of this class whereby the material to be shaped to form to lie smoothly against the form. The invention has been made more especially with the object of providing .an apparatus for shaping hats of woven material such as velvet, plush or satin which can be stretched `but little, if any, in the direction of the warp and` woof threads thereof, and to provide an apparatus whereby hat crowns of such material may be formed more readilyr4 and more perfectly than ywith apparatus such as has heretofore been used.

\ In shaping hat crowns, and especially crowns of velvet or other material having a pile or other nap surface, with the aid of heated crown forms and,v clamping rings which move down over the form to clamp the edge portion of then-material lagainst an outwardly extending fiange muchdifiiculty and loss has heretofore resulted from the marring of the material forming the lower portions of lthe crown or the portions adjacent to the clamping fiange, and from the difliculty experienced in stretching the ma terial evenly and smoothly over the forms or inability to secure this result to a satisfactory degree. The marring of the material has resulted from the use of a clamping ange at the base of the form'of such width that when the material has been stretched over the form andV down past said flange and the clamping ring then lowered, the clamping ring strikes the materlal at a distance more or less, but always conslderthehat crown maybe vreadily pulled to shape and evenly stretched softened and stretched smoothly over the clamping flange.

ably, above the line on which the material is clamped when the ring has become seated against the flange. This has necessitated the putting out of imperfect hats or the actual loss of material through the custom of shaping the crown of a depth greater than deslred in the finished product and then cutting thereof. The presence of the outwardly projecting flange at the base of the form has also been disadvantageous in that it holds the outer or lower portion of the material away from the hea-ted form, thereby preyenting such portion ofthe material, which 1s stretched over the form wet, from becoming suitably heated and thereby suitably in condition to be properly whole form. Furthermore, ithas been customary to sup port such crown forms by means of an edge support or standard so formed that it prevents the hands of the operators from venterlng beneath the -edges .of the form, with,V

the result that it has been customaryfto stretch thetmaterial about the form by-f pulling the` same `straight downward past the When stretched in this way it is very dificult to stretch the material smoothly over the form without wrinkles or puckerings. of the means for tofore used ,has best results.

I have found that in order to secure the most satisfactory the wet material when placed over and stretched against the form shall lie against or closely adjacent to the form throughout its heating the form as hereoff the lower or marred portiony not been such as to secure Furthermore, -the arrangement results it is desirable that whole extent so that allit-hat part of the matei riallwhich is to form the shaped crown shall be quickly heated to the degree necessary to properly soften the material. It may be noted that when the wet material is heated by' being placed against the crown form the heated portions first become softened aud then begin quickly to set orvharden as the moisture is expelled. This setting or hardening of the material under the action of theheated form may begin in as little as rial may be much more readily stretchedr about the form without wrinkles or puckerings therein if the edge portions of the material are pulled or stretched inward against and about the lower edge of the form than is the case when the material is stretched straight down over the clamping shoulder.l I, therefore, support my crown formin such a way as to leave free hand space beneath the lower or base edge of the form, or beyond such edge inthe direction of the longitudinal axis of the form, so that the operatbrs may draw the edge portions of the` material inward about the lower edge; or stretchingrim of the form, thereby getting a more ready and better distribution of the strain on the portions of the material to be stretched and more readily vholding the material after is has been stretched, or portions thereof while other parts are being stretched, and until the clamping ring is moved into operative position. The invention also includes other features contributing to the successful shapin of hat crowns, all as hereinaf'ter descri ed and speciically pointed out in the claims.

A full understanding of the invention can best be given by a detail description of an approved construction embodying the various features of the same, and such a description will now be 'given Iin connection with the accompanying drawings; in which- Figure 1 shows in side elevation and with parts in section such a form of apparatus;

Fig.V 2 is a plan view taken online 2 of Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale showing the burner for heating the crown form partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 of Fig. 2 fthe burner and central tubular standar As shown in the drawings, the crowniorm and clamping ring are mounted in a press of well known construction comprising side frames 10 which carry'near their upper ends a table or bed 11, andvertical sliding rods 12`mounted in bearings in 4side frames and which carry a cross-head 13 mounted to be vertically adjustable on the rods., as by means. of adjustin lnuts) 1-41.- .The rods 12 are normally held 1n, the positlon shown 1n Leraars Fig. 1 with the cross-head in its raised p0- sition b ka spring or springs 15, and are moved ownward against the tension of'the springs to lower the cross-head by means of a foot treadle 16 which is connected by a link 17 with alever 18 pivotallymounted on u support 19 and having its free end cony a link 20 with a cross bar 21 eX- tendin between the lower ends of the rods 12. hen the treadle has been depressed to give the full downward movement to the nected cross-head, it may be held by a catch 22 to lock the cross-head against upward movement. The press is also provided as shown bar 21, which shaft 26 carries at each end an' arm 27. which is pivotally connected to one end' of'a link 28 the other end of which is pivoted to one ofthe side frames. When the andklever 25 is thrown over .to the left from the position shown in Fig. 1,' the rods 12 will be drawn .downward by the action of the arms v27 and linksv 28, and similarly if the rods 12 are drawn downward by operation of the treadle 16, the hand lever will be thrown over to the left. When ythe. rods 12 have been given nearly their full downward movement', the arms 27 and links 28 will have `been brought-into a position in which they Stand nearly in line with each other so that a comparativelyl light force applied to the v hand lever. 25 will cause a very strong downward pullto be exerted on the cross-head through the rods 12.- lhe construction of the press as above described forms no part of the present invention, and any other suitable press or apparatus for supporting the crown form and clamping ring and causing a suitable approaching movement between the same may be used.

The crown form 30, of suitable material, as metal, and of any desired shape and of hollow ,construction for lightness and quickness of heating, is mounted on the table or bedplate 11, being supported at a distance above the table and in such a manner as to leave a free space beneath the lower edge or base edge of the form for the hands of the operators in stretching the material on the form. For so supporting the. form, it is most advantageously, and as shown, carried by a central support or standard 31 which extends upward from a base plate 32 resting on and secured to the table 1l, as by bolts and thumb-nuts extending through slots in the bed in the usual manner for securing ,stretched dies, etc., to the table of presses of the kind shown.l The form is best removably secured to the standard 31, as by being formed with a central threaded socket as shown to screw on to the threaded end of the standard 31- A crown form may thus be readily removed and a different one placed in its positionfor use as desired without rcluoving the standard 31. f Y

The lower edge portion of the crown form is extended slightly outward to form a narrow clamping shoulder 33 and the part below the clamping shoulder forms a stretching rim 31.l The stretching rim is suitably shaped, being best somewhat rounded at its lower outer portion or edge as shown, s0 that the material may be readily pulled or against and inward about the same.

The clamping ring 40, which is shaped at its lower 0r operating edge to conform to and cooperate with the clamping Ishoulder 33 of the form, is hung from the cross-head, as by means of the rods 41 which extend through openings in the arms of the crosshead and are secured thereto b nuts as shown threaded on the rods and w ereby the rods may be adjusted up or down to adjust the position of the clamping ring vertically with relation to the cross-head, and, therefore, its posit-ion with relation to the crown form when the cross-head has been lowered to operative position.

For heating the crown form, I rovide a burner ring 45 which 1s mounted c ose up to the bottom of the crown form and has jet.

openings arranged to direct the flames outward against tie lower inner part of the form. As shown, the burner ring is mounted on the standardv 31 which is hollow or tubular and provides a mixing chamber with which the 1burner tube communicates through a tubular arm 46 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

A mixture vof fuel gas and air is supplied to `the mixing chamber and thence to the burner tube by means of an injecting tube 47 which may be of any usual or suitable form to cause a suitable proportionate supply of air' to be drawn in by a jet of entering gas supplied through the supply tube 48. It will e noticed that the mixing chamber provided by the standard 31 is of comparatively large proportionate size, and I find that with such a comparatively large mixingchamber a much better heating flame is secured than with the burners as ordinarily used not having such large mixing chambers. With the crown form supported with a free o en space beneath its lower edge, I am enab ed to locate the burner ring close up to the plane of the bottom or base edge of the form, and thus not only secure a better heating of the form but locate the burner where it will not interfere with the hands of the operators in stretching the material over the form. The

j clamping ring may be heated in the ordinary manner by a burner tube 50 secured thereto. The operation of shaping a hat crown with my apparatus will be understood from what has already been stated, but is briefl as follows z-The cross-head being raise and the crown form being heated 'to a suitable temperature, the piece of material to be shaped, after having been suitably wet or moistened, is placed over the form and is pulled downward about the form by two operators standing one on each side of the press, each operator grasping the material with his two hands in the usual manner so as to stretch the material over all parts of the form- As the material becomes heated, and thereby softened, it is quickly manipulated and stretched by the operators by being pulled inward against and about the stretching rim of the form to put the material under suitable tension on the form and to stretch out the wrinkles or puckerings which tend to form in the portions of the material covering parts of the sides and lower portions of the form. In so stretching the material, the operators have the advantage of a free space beneath the form in which their hands may work so that with the material stretched over and against the more or less rounded edge of the stretehin rim a better distribution of the ull on the material and a better holding of t le material when stretched is secured. As soon as the material has been properly stretched over the form, the eross-head is lowered to bring the clamping ring into operative position to clamp the material against theclamping shoulder 33. l/Vhen the material has dried and set, the cross-head is again raised andthe shaped crown lifted oli' from the form.

AIt willbe observed that the clampingV shoulder is lnade very narrowx so that the material when stretched down over the' shoulder and about the stretching rim lies against or so closely adjacent to the whole .shaping surface of the form that' all parts ofthe material to be shaped against the form will be quickly heated and substantially uniformlysoftened, thus avoiding thne uneven hea-ting and consequent uneven stretching which results, with the old style of crown form having an outwardly projecting base flange, in the initial setting or hardening of a part of the material before the lower or outer portions have become fully softened, or before the stretching action is completed after such softening.

It will be observed, also, that because of the narrowness of the clamping shoulder the the clamping'ring does not come into Contact with the material until just before it reaches its final clamping positionand the wiping by the clamping ring of a considerable portion ofthe material with consequent marring ot the material which results from the use of the old clamping fiange is thus avoided.

That is claimed is:

l. ltllat crown shaping apparatus comprising a crown forni having a stretching rim against and inward about which the outer portion of the material being shaped may be pulled, means for supporting the form with an unobstructed open hand Space bcyond the rim in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the forni, said spacev being directly beyond the rim and extending .in-

ward from the 'rini, and means for clamping the materiall against the form adjacent the stretching rim.

2. Hat crown shaping apparatus comprising a crown forni having a stretching rim formed with a rounded edge against and inward about which thc outer portion of the material being shaped may be pulled, a central support for supporting the forni with an open hand space beyond the rim in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the form, Said space being directly beyond the rim and extending inward from the rim, means for heating the form, and means for clamping the material against the form adjacent the stretching rim.

3. Hat crown shaping apparat-us comprising a crown forni havingr a stretching rim against and inward about which the outer portion of the material heilig shaped may be pulled and having a narrow clamping shoulder between the shaping surface of the form and the stretching rim, whereby the material stretched on the form and over the shaping rim will lie against or closely adjacent the whole shaping surface of the form, means tor supporting the form with an unobstructed open hand space beyond the stretching rim in the direct'ldn ot the longitudinal axis of the form, said space being directly beyond the rim and extending inward from the rim, means for heating. the form, a clamping ring for coperating with said clamping shoulder, and means for causing an approaching movement between the form and clamping ring.

ll. Hat crown shaping apparatus colnprising a crown form having a narrow clamping shoulder ad jacent its base edge and a stretching rim beyond the shoulder, a central standard for supporting the form with an open hand space directly beneath the rim and extending inward beneath the body of the forni` a the clamping shoulder, and means for causing an apprmichimg movement between the clamping ring and the form.

5. Hat crown shaping apparatus comprising a crown form having a narrow clamping shoulder adjacent its base edge and a Stretching rim beyond the shoulder. a central standard for supporting the form with an open clamping ring for coperating with hand space directly beneath thestretching rim and extending inward beneath the body of the form, a gas burner supported by said standard in position to heat the torni and not to obstruct the hand yspace beneath the stretchin rim, a clamping ring for coperating with the clamping shoulder, means tor heating theclamping ring, and .means for causing an approaching movement between the clamping ring and the form.

6. Hat crown shaping apparatus comprising a crown form' having a stretching rim against and about which the outer portion of the material being shaped may be ulled, said stretching rim being formed and ocated with relation to the shaping surface of the forni to cause material stretchedon the form and inward about the stretching rini to lie against or closely adjacent the whole shaping surface ott' the forni, means for supporting the form arranged to leave an unobstructed open hand space directly beneath the stretching rim and extending inward belneath the body of the form, and means for clamping the material against the Jform adjacent the stretching rim.

7. Hat crown shaping apparatus compris ing a crown form having an open bottom and "having a `stretching rim against and inward about which the outer portion ot the mate `rial being shaped may be pulled, a central support tor supporting the form. arranged to leave an open hand space directly beneath the stretching rim and extending inward beneath the body of the form, a gas burner set up clbse to the plane of the base of the form for directing the heatin Haine against the lower inner portion of tie torni, an injecting tube for supplying a mixture ot gas and air7 and a mixing chamber of comparatively large capacity between the injecting tube and the burner orifices. 4

8. Hat crown shaping apparatus comprisingr a crown form having a stretching rim against and inward about which the outer vportion of the material being shaped may be pulled, a central vertical standard tor supporting the form with a clear hand space directly beneath the stretching rim, said standard being of hollow tubular form to provide a mixing chamber, a tubular ring burner mounted on said standard close up to the plane voit the base edge of the form, said burner tube having burner orifices tor directin dame against the lower inner part ot the torm and communicating through a supply passage with said miring'chairnbers and an injectin tube for supplying a mixture of gas an air to the'mixing chamber.

9. A hat crown shaping form having a narrow clamping shoulder adjacent its base edge and having its base edge shaped to form a stretching rim against and inward about which the outer portion ot' the mate titi bil

liti

lill@ llt lith

a being shaped may' be pued te stretch or eosey adjacent the Shaping surface o the materiali smoothly en 'the form, and 'the ferm. means fm' supporting the form with an unln testimony whereof have hereunto set obstructed open hand space directy beneath my hand' in the presence of two subscribing the stretching rim and extending inward be- Witnesses.

neath the body of the form, said shoulder v i? y* o E T and stretchmg mm bemg Iormed and located hl hmm o NS with relation to the shaping Surface 0f the `Witnesses: form to cause materia stretched on the forml A. L. KENT,-

10 and about the stretching rim to lie against PAUL H. FRANEE. 

